2022 F1 Bahrain GP FP3: What did we learn?

The third Free Practice session of the Bahrain GP is done and dusted and all we have left for Saturday is the all-important qualifying session. Just like FP2 yesterday, we had Max Verstappen leading the charge for Red Bull at the top of the table with Charles Leclerc snapping at his heels. The third practice session was quite revealing in how the rest of the weekend might pan out.

So, what did we learn from the third Free Practice session? Let's find out.

---

2022 F1 Bahrain GP FP3: What did we learn?

#1 It's very close between Red Bull and Ferrari

Very early in the weekend, it's already becoming clear that we might be looking at a potentially epic battle between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Both have separated themselves from their teammates in terms of pace and are operating at a very high level.

Verstappen's fastest lap in the Bahrain GP FP3 was in sub-optimal conditions as he had ruined his first flying lap. Leclerc's fastest lap was less than perfect as he got held up in the third sector. Despite this, the two drivers were top 2 in the standings. This is going to be an enticing battle between two of the brightest talents on the grid right now.

#2 Mercedes is getting there

The commentators might have gotten overly excited by the laps put together by the two Mercedes drivers when George Russell displaced Verstappen at the top of the standings. One key caveat missed behind those laps, however, was the fact that Russell was on a fresh set of softs and track evolution played a huge role.

Having said that, for the first time this season, the Mercedes was hooked to the track and not suffering severely from porpoising as it had done all along. This should be a positive sign for the team regardless of what the timesheet says.

#3 George Russell is sneakily doing something brilliant at Mercedes

Behind all the hoopla of Mercedes struggling with its car, there is one thing that might have escaped everyone — Russell has outpaced Lewis Hamilton in all three sessions.

There were question marks earlier over the young British driver on how he is going to cope driving with a new team and alongside Hamilton. Looking at the way he has taken the challenge head-on, Russell seems to be doing everything right in that car. If he can somehow outqualify his more-experienced teammate in the Bahrain GP, that will be a statement. A statement that might wake Hamilton up to the prospect of a challenge from the sister garage.

#4 Midfield is a mess

From P7 to P18 in qualifying, it's anybody's game. Such is the mess in the midfield where all the teams are so close to each other on pace. There have been moments when Alfa Romeo has looked good, and so was the case with Alpine yesterday. Haas has produced some impressive times, but so has AlphaTauri and in all of this, we cannot forget McLaren.

The final classification in the Bahrain GP qualifying will be determined based on driver skills and there's nothing better that could have happened in F1.